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Remind managers of review deadlines in date order
Practice: Keeping the AI to your sources. About 5 minutes.
About this exercise
You're reminding managers about the mid-year review cycle. Write one opening sentence, then exactly 3 numbered deadlines in date order, each as 'Date - what's due - where', plain text, under 70 words. Use the moved deadline, and leave out the HR-internal steps managers don't do.
Common mistakes when you ask AI for this
- Asking for 'a reminder email'. The AI writes a long email with bold headings, every step and a pep talk. Try: Be exact: "One opening sentence, then exactly 3 numbered deadlines. Plain text."
- Trusting the AI to count words. AI is bad at counting. Ask for a total word limit and it often lands over it. Try: Cap each line instead: "each line under 12 words."
- Using the old deadline. June 20 appears first, and the update is lower down. Try: Add: "Submission is due June 18 (moved from June 20)."
- Including everyone's steps. The AI lists HR and employee dates too, so managers can't see their own. Try: Add: "Only manager steps. No HR-internal or employee dates."
- No line shape. The AI writes sentences instead of a scannable list. Try: Show it: "1. June 18 - submit reviews - HR portal".
What a strong prompt includes
- Uses the moved date
- Only manager steps
- Shows the line shape
- Sets the number of deadlines
- Sets a word limit
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